Editing Ambiguity (section)

=== Ambiguous terms in physics and mathematics ===
Some physical quantities do not yet have established notations; their value (and sometimes even [[dimension]], as in the case of the [[Einstein coefficients]]), depends on the system of notations. Many terms are ambiguous. Each use of an ambiguous term should be preceded by the definition, suitable for a specific case. Just like [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] states in [[Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus]]: "...&nbsp;Only in the context of a proposition has a name meaning."<ref>{{cite book|title=Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus|last=Wittgenstein|first=Ludwig|publisher=Dover Publications Inc.|year=1999|isbn=978-0-486-40445-5|page=39}}</ref>

A highly confusing term is ''gain''. For example, the sentence "the gain of a system should be doubled", without context, means close to nothing.
* It may mean that the ratio of the output voltage of an electric circuit to the input voltage should be doubled.
* It may mean that the ratio of the output power of an electric or optical circuit to the input power should be doubled.
* It may mean that the gain of the laser medium should be doubled, for example, doubling the population of the upper laser level in a quasi-two level system (assuming negligible absorption of the ground-state).

The term ''intensity'' is ambiguous when applied to light. The term can refer to any of [[irradiance]], [[luminous intensity]], [[radiant intensity]], or [[radiance]], depending on the background of the person using the term.

Also, confusions may be related with the use of [[atomic percent]] as measure of concentration of a [[dopant]], or [[Optical resolution|resolution]] of an imaging system, as measure of the size of the smallest detail that still can be resolved at the background of statistical noise. See also ''[[Accuracy and precision]]''.

The [[Berry paradox]] arises as a result of systematic ambiguity in the meaning of terms such as "definable" or "nameable". Terms of this kind give rise to [[Virtuous circle and vicious circle|vicious circle]] fallacies. Other terms with this type of ambiguity are: satisfiable, true, false, function, property, class, relation, cardinal, and ordinal.<ref>Russell/Whitehead, ''Principia Mathematica''</ref>